Airbus Helicopters produces titanium latch shafts for aircraft doors via 3D printing
October 9, 2018
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Airbus Helicopters, Germany, has officially begun production of latch shafts for the doors of the A350 passenger aircraft by metal additive manufacturing. According to the company, the AM components are cheaper to produce and weigh less than their counterparts made by conventional methods, enabling Airbus to continue offering more economical and environmentally friendly aircraft.
Airbus Helicopters manufactures the doors for all Airbus aircraft door latch shafts. The latch shafts are made of titanium on an EOS M 400-4 Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (LB-PBF) system in batches of twenty-eight per build. The resulting parts are reported to be 45% lighter and 25% cheaper to produce than traditional latch shafts; as each A350 has sixteen latch shafts, the result is a saving of just over 4 kg per aircraft.
Airbus Helicopters plans to deliver 2200 components a year once production is fully operational. Qualification is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2018, with serial production starting in early 2019; the first additively manufactured A350 components are expected to begin service in active aircraft in 2020.
Airbus Helicopters has begun preparations to produce an even larger group of A350 door components via additive manufacturing, and also expects to use the technology in the production of future helicopter components.
“This means that 3D printing should be taken into consideration right from the initial planning stages for new components,†says Luis Martin Diaz, Head of Industrial Service Centers at Airbus Helicopters. “Airbus will start preparations for the industrialization of 3D printed helicopter components this year.â€
www.airbus.com
www.eos.info
Airbus Helicopters, Germany, has officially begun production of latch shafts for the doors of the A350 passenger aircraft by metal additive manufacturing.
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Abstract from MS&T 2018: High Performance Amorphous Thermal Sprayed Coatings for Molten Salt Environment
October 8, 2018
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Chloride salts have been identified as one of the promising media for thermal energy storage for achieving higher operating temperatures. However, these molten salts introduce a set of challenges because of the severity of corrosive environment at high temperatures.
Liquid Metal Group Holdings (LMGH) has developed and applied proprietary innovative amorphous metallic alloy coatings that are able to withstand the severe corrosive environment of molten salt at high temperatures. Amorphous metals are a novel class of materials that have a disordered, glassy structure. Amorphous Metals are more corrosion resistant compared to conventional metals due to the lack of long-range periodicity, related grain boundaries and crystal defects such as dislocations.
This presentation will highlight amorphous thermal sprayed coatings on Haynes230 which have been tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and compared to non-coated Haynes230 in terms of corrosion resistance under molten chloride salt at 750°C for 300 hours.
This work is sponsored by DoE SBIR award DE-SC0017682.
Evelina Vogli1, Stephen Raiman2; Bruce Pint2; Ricardo Salas1; John Kang1; 1LM Group Holdings Inc; 2ORNL
www.liquidmetal-coatings.com
[email protected]
Chloride salts have been identified as one of the promising media for thermal energy storage for achieving higher operating temperatures.
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Oerlikon Metco’s Surface One thermal spray coating machine wins international awards
October 7, 2018
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Oerlikon Metco, Switzerland, announces that its Surface One flagship machine for thermal spray coatings is the winner of two renowned international design awards. Both the Red Dot Design Award and the International Design Excellence Awards recognize the Surface One design for its contribution to the quality, efficiency, usability and safety of the thermal spray process.
“Breaking the mold in regard to design in order to enhance the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the technology — this has been superbly achieved by Surface Oneâ€, is the verdict of the Red Dot Design Award jury. A statement that perfectly reflects Oerlikon Metco’s aspirations for the next generation thermal spray coating machine. “Our customers expect productivity improvements, consistent quality and process safety; and they want their coating process to be ready for the factory of the future,†explains Dr. Martin Tempus, Oerlikon Metco’s Head of Equipment Business.
Surface One delivers on all these requirements:
─ Compact design that fits in a shipping container, occupies 20% less floor space and can readily be relocated elsewhere on the shop floor or to another facility.
─ Full modularity that simplifies system upgrades or reconfiguration
─ An intuitive, customizable user interface with integrated operator guidance that eliminates operating errors, increases operational efficiency, reduces training requirements and is ready for Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things.
─Safety and usability improvements that limit operator exposure to the thermal spray environment, make part lifting and handling a breeze, minimize maintenance downtime, and reduce system cleaning efforts.
www.oerlikon.com/metco
Oerlikon Metco, Switzerland, announces that its Surface One flagship machine for thermal spray coatings is the winner of two renowned international design awards.
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Zinc oxide nanopillars deposited in surface coatings impale bacteria on nanospikes
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The A-Star Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Singapore, reports that its researchers have developed nanostructured coatings that annihilate microbes by piercing their cell walls. The coatings consist of ultra-small zinc oxide (ZnO) spikes, or nanopillars.
“We were inspired by the wings of dragonflies and cicadas, which prevent bacteria from adhering to their surfaces because they are covered with minuscule spikes,†says IBN Group Leader Dr Yugen Zhang. The zinc oxide nanopillars can kill a broad range of germs such as E. coli and S. aureus that are commonly transmitted from surface contact.
In a simple and scalable bottom-up approach, the team formed an initial layer of ZnO particles on various substrates, such as glass, ceramics, zinc foil, and galvanized steel, and grew the nanopillars on these ‘seeds’ from an aqueous solution of zinc salts.
To their surprise, the coatings demonstrated excellent antimicrobial activity against the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the fungus Candida albicans, especially when deposited on zinc foil and galvanized steel.
Fluorescence and electron microscopy revealed that, in addition to physically rupturing the cell walls of surface-attached microbes, nanopillars formed on these zinc-based substrates had another benefit. Specifically, the electron transfer between the zinc substrate material and the ZnO pillars generated strong superoxide radical oxidants which chemically damaged both attached and detached microbial cells. This enhanced the potency of the nanopillars compared to those deposited on other substrates.
In addition to their stability and lack of toxicity, these ZnO coatings have long-lasting antimicrobial properties, which is useful for real-life applications. As a proof-of-concept experiment, Dr. Zhang’s team assessed the performance of the coatings for water disinfection by growing E. coli in water in the presence of zinc-supported nanopillars. The bacterial levels decreased by five orders of magnitude in one hour and fell to zero after three hours.
The researchers report their results in an article in the journal Small, "ZnO nanopillar coated surfaces with substrate-dependent superbactericidal property".
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/ibn
The A-Star Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Singapore, reports that its researchers have developed nanostructured coatings that annihilate microbes by piercing their cell walls.
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U.S. Department of Energy grant to advance electrolysis process for copper production.
October 4, 2018
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
In June 2017, researchers in Prof. Allanore’s lab identified how to selectively separate pure copper and other metallic elements from sulfide mineral ore in one step. Their molten sulfide electrolysis process eliminates sulfur dioxide, a noxious byproduct of traditional copper extraction methods, instead producing pure elemental sulfur.
“We think that with our technology we could provide these copper wires with less energy consumption and higher productivity,†Prof. Allanore says. It may be possible to cut the energy needed for making copper by 20 percent.
In earlier research, postdoc Sulata K. Sahu and graduate student Brian J. Chmielowiec decomposed sulfur-rich minerals at high temperature into pure sulfur and extracted three different metals at very high purity: copper, molybdenum, and rhenium. The process is similar to the Hall-Héroult process, which uses electrolysis to produce aluminum, but operates at a higher operating temperature to enable production of liquid copper.
Currently, it takes multiple steps to separate out copper, first crushing sulfide minerals, and then floating out the copper-bearing parts. This copper-rich material — copper concentrate — is next partially refined in a smelter, and further purified with electrolytic refining.
“Professor Allanore’s approach would work on the copper concentrate and has the potential to produce copper rod in a single operation while separating unwanted impurities and recovering valuable byproducts that are also in the concentrate,†says Hal Stillman, director of technology development and transfer for the International Copper Association. “Professor Allanore’s approach is a big step; it allows a completely new approach to refining copper.â€
The three-year, $1.89 million DOE award will allow Allanore’s group to make a larger reactor, producing about 10 times as much liquid copper per hour, and to run the reactor for a longer time, enough to identify what happens to the other metals accompanying copper, which are also commercially important.
http://news.mit.edu/
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, announces that associate professor of metallurgy Antoine Allanore has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to run larger scale tests of a new way to produce copper using electricity to separate copper from melted sulfur-based minerals, which are the main source of copper.
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Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition 3D printing process wins ITA award
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Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces that it has been named the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s 2018 Titanium Application Development Award.
As reported last year, Norsk Titanium began delivering the structural, additive manufactured aerospace parts to industry giant Boeing. These first OEM-qualified components are now flying on the Boeing 787. Norsk utilizes its Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) wire-fed process to produce near-net-shape titanium parts at its production facilities in Hønefoss, Norway, and Plattsburgh, New York.
“Norsk Titanium is honored to be recognized by ITA for the 2018 Titanium Applications Development Award,†says Michael Canario, chief executive officer of Norsk Titanium. “This achievement by our dedicated team follows the vision of our Norwegian founders to revolutionize the titanium manufacturing industry with our Rapid Plasma Deposition technology. We expressly thank our research and development partners for their support in promoting new titanium applications.â€
According to Norsk officials, the technology has demonstrated it can produce parts weighing over 100 pounds. They add that RPD is 50 to 100 times faster than powder-based additive manufacturing systems and uses 25 to 50 percent less titanium than incumbent forging processes. In addition to producing parts for commercial jets, the RPD process can be used to manufacture structural parts for the space, transportation, oil and gas, and maritime business sectors.
The ITA sponsors the TAD award to recognize: significant achievement towards improving and expanding the use of titanium; promoting titanium products into new applications or enhancing the performance of titanium in an existing application; unveiling a technical breakthrough that specifically expands the use of titanium; inaugurating or influencing outstanding research or marketing programs leading to the expansion of the titanium market or titanium products; initiating or creating important new and imaginative uses for titanium.
www.Titanium.org
www.norsktitanium.com
Norsk Titanium, Norway, announces that it has been named the recipient of the International Titanium Association’s 2018 Titanium Application Development Award.
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AIST names flash bainite, nanotexturing, and steel foam as T.C. Graham Prize finalists
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The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr. The purpose is to recognize innovative applications for steel that may lead to the development of new markets. The winning entry will receive $20,000.
One of the three finalists is Flash Bainite, a heat treating technology developed by Gary Cola of the Flash Bainite Co., Washington Twp., Michigan. Said to be capable of producing 1600 MPa sheet in just five seconds, Flash 1600 has reportedly been proven in automotive OEM test labs to reduce mass by 20 to 58 percent, while maintaining performance and reducing cost. This process is an entirely new field of ferrous metallurgy that leverages the natural heterogeneity of steel to create a highly complex, nanorefined microstructure with unparalleled mechanical properties.
The second finalist is Nanotexturing Stainless Steel, developed by Professors Julie Champion and Dennis Hess of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Creation of nanotexture on stainless steel by electrochemical etching decreases attachment of bacteria and kills bacteria, while simultaneously improving corrosion resistance. The goal is to scale up and establish the feasibility of translating electrochemical etching as a method of creating nanotexture on stainless steel food and beverage equipment, biomedical devices, and a variety of surfaces to prevent bacterial infection.
The third finalist is Steel Composite Metal Foam, developed by Prof. Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Steel-steel composite metal foam is a low weight, high-strength metal foam manufactured using hollow steel spheres embedded in a steel matrix. This material has shown superior mechanical properties under loading, fire, radiation and even blast and fragments impact. Such properties have made steel-steel composite metal foams strong candidates for applications in structural components.
www.flashbainite.com
www.ncsu.edu
www.gatech.edu
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology, Warrendale, Pa., has disclosed the three finalists for the third annual T.C. Graham Prize, which was established in 2014 through an endowment from one of the steel industry’s most successful and innovative executives, Tom C. Graham Sr.
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NASA announces call for proposals for Combustion Science and Materials Science
October 2, 2018
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NASA has released a NASA Research Announcement titled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System – Appendix E,†which solicits ground-based research proposals to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system.
This online database provides investigators access to the raw and processed experimental data from physical science reduced-gravity flight experiments conducted on the International Space Station, Space Shuttle flights, Free Flyers, or commercial cargo flights to and from the ISS, and from related ground-based studies.
The current call for proposals solicits proposals in the five research areas – Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics, and Materials Science – for which eligible experimental data will be available in the PSI by the proposal due date of December 14, 2018. Data from 55 investigations are eligible for this NRA.
The call is open to two types of investigators: established researchers and graduate students. Anticipated award amounts, eligibility requirements, and further instructions for both types of investigators are provided in the solicitation document, which is available at https://tinyurl.com/NASA-PSI-E.
NASA has released a NASA Research Announcement titled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System – Appendix E,” which solicits ground-based research proposals to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system.
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Japanese scientists develop molybdenum-base high-temperature high-strength alloy
October 1, 2018
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Tohoku University, Japan, reports that its researchers have developed a titanium carbide-reinforced, molybdenum-silicon-boron (Mo-Si-B)-based alloy, or MoSiBTiC, whose high-temperature strength was identified under constant forces in the temperature ranges of 2550 to 2900°F.
The study was published in Nature's open access journal Scientific Reports in July 2018. "Our experiments show that the MoSiBTiC alloy is extremely strong compared with cutting-edge nickel-base single crystal superalloys, which are commonly used in hot sections of heat engines such as jet engines and gas turbines for electric power generation," says lead author Prof. Kyosuke Yoshimi of Tohoku University's Graduate School of Engineering.
"This work suggests that the MoSiBTiC, as ultrahigh temperature materials beyond nickel-based superalloys, is one promising candidate for those applications," added Yoshimi.
Yoshimi and colleagues report several parameters that highlight the alloy's favorable ability to withstand disruptive forces under ultrahigh temperatures without deforming. They also observed the alloy's behavior when exposed to increasing forces and when cavities within MoSiBTiC formed and grew, resulting in to microcracks and final rupturing.
The researchers assessed the alloy's creep in a stress range of 100 to 300 MPa for 400 hours. All experiments were performed in a computer-controlled test rig under vacuum in order to prevent the material from oxidizing, or reacting with the any potential air moisture, which could ultimately result in rust formation.
Furthermore, the study reports that, contrary to previous studies, the alloy experiences larger elongation with decreasing forces. This behavior, they write, has so far only been observed with superplastic materials that are capable of withstanding against unexpected premature failure.
These findings are an important indicator for MoSiBTiC's applicability in systems that function at extremely high temperatures, such as energy conversion systems in automotive applications, power plants, and propulsion systems in aircraft engines and rockets. The researchers say that several additional microstructural analyses are needed in order to fully understand the alloy's mechanics and its ability to recover from exposure of high stresses such as large forces under high temperatures.
http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/metal_withstands_ultra_high_temperature.html
Tohoku University, Japan, reports that its researchers have developed a titanium carbide-reinforced, molybdenum-silicon-boron (Mo-Si-B)-based alloy, or MoSiBTiC, whose high-temperature strength was identified under constant forces in the temperature ranges of 2550 to 2900°F.
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Hardline Heat Treating to invest $3.2 million to renovate buildings and expand operations
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Hardline Heat Treating Inc., Southbridge, Mass., announces that Southbridge city council has approved a ten-year tax increment financing (TIF) agreement that will allow the company to invest $3.2 million and add ten jobs to its 36-person workforce. It will spend $1 million to purchase the two buildings it occupies, pay $1.8 million for construction, and $400,000 for new equipment, according to company president, Robert Chalue.
The company thermally treats metals to improve wear, toughness and aesthetics, has 36 employees and operates from 134 and 73 Ashland Ave., in a combined 18,000 square feet. The company plans to first expand and renovate one building from more than 25,000 square feet to more than 41,000 square feet. Then it will do the same for the second building, at least a year after the other building is completed and operational.
The tax exemption schedule would be 100 percent the first two years, 70 percent in years 3 and 4, 50 percent in years 5 and 6, 40 percent in year 7, 30 percent in year 8, 20 percent in year 9, and 10 percent the final year of the agreement.
www.hardlineheattreating.com
Hardline Heat Treating Inc., Southbridge, Mass., announces that Southbridge city council has approved a ten-year tax increment financing (TIF) agreement that will allow the company to invest $3.2 million and add ten jobs to its 36-person workforce.
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